Abergavenny
Abergavenny
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Abergavenny
RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
The 28th April 2019 will live long in the memory of Abergavenny Rugby
Football Club. The club which was founded in 1875 had reached a national
final for the first time. The cup run had caught the imagination of the town
and up to 2000 supporters made their way to the Principality Stadium to
cheer the team home to an epic injury time win.
This together with promotion
into League 2 East has generated a
very positive mood in and around
the club. Towards the end of last
season many more supporters came
to watch the team and this was
evident in the club house where it
became party central on a Saturday
night.
For many years Abergavenny
has prided itself with the success of
their mini and junior sections, these
efforts are paying dividends now
with 90% of the senior squad having
played for the town in these junior
teams.
With the new season fast
approaching we are determined
to build on our recent success,
becoming a respected team in League
2 East, playing attractive rugby with
a smile on our faces and challenging
at the top half of the table towards
the end of the season.
Youth rugby has never been
more important to our club, it is the
level where players development is
most apparent and prepares them
for the big leap into senior rugby.
We have always had to overcome
the challenges of players going to
university and the cream of the crop
playing at a higher level, but with
those who remain from the three age
groups we try to create a tight team
bond on and off the field which helps
them play to the best of their ability.
Major renovations and updating
of facilities have been made in
the club house over the last five
years including a viewing balcony
overlooking Bailey Park to increase
“I had the honour of being one of the first mini players for that
section some thirty years ago along with Richard Merchant who
is still a great supporter of the club. As chairman for seven years
now and VC for the previous three I’ve witnessed the changes and
appreciate that these days it’s not so easy to give your time up for
rugby in the way it was in my day, family and work commitments
play their part.
The cup run leading up to the final at the Principality Stadium and
the way we won the final itself was outstanding and will definitely
go down in club history. It inspired me to write a song for the club
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capacity for big games, events etc.
These improvements have resulted
in the club hosting many more events
in the community, thus changing
people’s perception of the club to a
place where they enjoy coming to.
Major challenges facing clubs
like ours are generating enough
income to meet the ever-increasing
overheads. Having a large club
house and running thirteen teams
which seems to have been picked up by the lads and our fans! I no
longer play myself having managed to last till age forty as a front
row prop but as chairman I am a regular visitor to the club.
I have also been a sponsor of the club for many years with
Beavans Family Butchers and wish everyone associated with the
club the very best of success for the remainder of the 2019/2020
season!”
Huw Beavan
Mario Vandevyer moved with his family from Belgium to Abergavenny in
1966. He played rugby for the school before progressing to youth then senior
rugby usually playing as a winger and continued coaching the youth once his
playing days ended. He told Rugby Club Magazine, “It was a real honour to
have been awarded the Presidents role of this great club three years ago and
particularly to be part of last season’s historic win at The Principality Stadium.
As a club we are renowned for developing our own players and in fact my sons
Rhys and Ryan played for the club’s mini section, Rhys going on to win some
district trophies. This season we have competed very strongly with fitness
having always been a key element in our game. Nathan Thomas is doing a
great job and we are holding our own in the new league.
Our improved facilities coupled with our seniors success has added to the
club’s atmosphere and you can hear rugby chat going on in our new clubhouse
with much enthusiasm. Much of our club’s success has to be attributed to
our fantastic senior committee of Huw Bevan, Colin Evans, David James
and Richard Dixon performing a great service to the club. It’s great that the
club are being recognised in Rugby Club Magazine and I wish everyone at
Abergavenny Rugby Club the very best of continued enjoyment and success
for many years to come!”
from under 7’s to seniors takes a
lot of funding. To achieve this we
are heavily reliant on volunteers
to become officers on the various
committees giving vast amounts
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of time and effort to provide the
community with a rugby club they
can be proud of.
Looking forward as a club we
must endeavour to maintain the high
standards we have achieved while
improving the infrastructure in and
around the club. On the playing front
we will strive to provide a rugby club
for the local people to play for on an
amateur basis for their enjoyment
and personal development.
I
became
involved
with
Abergavenny Rugby Club seventeen
years ago when my oldest son
joined the under eight’s team. I was
attracted to Abergavenny because it
had a very vibrant mini section with
good organisation and dedicated
volunteers. I was soon drawn in
to become involved with helping
with the administration of the
section before taking on the office
of treasurer in mini and later junior
sections.
Article provided by Colin Evans
“I was born and bred in Abergavenny and my earliest memories were watching the then Schweppes Cup as a 12-year-old. I
started playing at around age nineteen as a winger up until my mid 30’s before I hung my boots up and commenced to coach with a
little refereeing. Last year I decided to step back from my Junior Chairman position after a ten-year tenure but my boys, who are both
products of our mini section still play. Rhys is an outside half for the youth team and Tomas is trying his hand at scrum half for the U16s.
It would be great to see more facilities for young people in our area which would definitely improve numbers being attracted to the
sport so we are hoping the WRU will put some additional funding our way for perhaps an all-weather pitch which would make a great
difference for training and playing, last week we had to travel to Monmouth due to a waterlogged pitch.
Last season was fantastic for our club and it was particularly memorable for my family as my nephew Rhys Dawe was part of
the winning team at the principality last April. I wish all my friends and club members all the very best of continued success for the
remainder of the 2019/2020 campaign!”
Alun Jones
Richard Dixon is the current Vice Chairman of Abergavenny RFC. He took time out recently to talk to Rugby Club Magazine, saying,
“My relationship with Abergavenny Rugby Club started as a sixteen-year-old when I would play for the school in the morning and the
club in the afternoon in their back row. I continued playing for the club till the age of forty but by this time I had been pushed onto the
wing some might say I was useful as a formidable 18 stone plus winger and had the privilege of captaining the club throughout the
93-94 season as well as the honour of playing alongside some A internationals; not sure if being on the wing was the best position for
captain from a communication perspective! My involvement continued with the club for five years as Team Manager as well as coaching
when my oldest son joined the minis and my youngest boy aged 10 is now a current player.”
www.rugbyclubmag.com
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